Herkie's Adventure
by Model-D
Summary: When Smithers loses his memory after an accident, its up to his dog to come to the rescue.
1. Chapter 1

HERKIE'S ADVENTURE

A/n: In _The Simpsons_ third season, Smithers alluded to a Yorkshire terrier he owned at the time by the name of Hercules, showing Mr. Burns a photo to prove it. The dog was never mentioned or seen again. So here's a little adventure story that gives him a more "meaty" role. Hope you enjoy it.

Legal yadda yadda: I own no right to _The Simpsons_ or the characters therein. They don't own me either. I'm not making any money writing fanfic, which should make everyone but me very happy.

Chapter 1

Waylon Smithers arrived home after another exhausting day of almost literally bending over backwards to try and please his unappreciative boss, Montgomery Burns, the overseer of the local nuclear power plant. Poor Waylon hardly had the energy to get his key in the door's lock, but as soon as the sound of the key rasped in it, an excited barking issued from within the apartment. As the door swung open, a small dog jumped and yapped enthusiastically seeing his master return.

"Oh, Herkie," Smithers sighed. "At least you're happy to see me."

The small terrier continued his enthusiasm by running back and forth from the door to the kitchenette.

"Yes, yes, I know… your dinnertime," Smithers acknowledged as he unclipped his plant ID tag from his jacket lapel, placed it in the pocket then removed the garment and draped it on the back of an armchair.

As Smithers trudged wearily towards the kitchen loosening his tie, the small dog ran in circles around him in expectation of his evening meal. But as Smithers opened the cupboard to get a bag of kibble stored there, he found the sack to be almost empty.

"Good thing I bought an extra one when they were on sale, Herk," Smithers said.

Pulling out a stepstool from under the counter, he climbed to the overhead cabinet to retrieve it from it storage place. Herkie seeing a large new bag of food resumed his outburst of anticipation. The dog started jumping up against the stool attempting to hasten his master's progress. Although a small dog, his vigorous shenanigans were banging against the stool causing it to sway.

"Uh…Herkie..stop that," Smithers gently chided.

Smithers now had the large bag clutched against his chest. He started to descend when Herkie, squatting behind him, decided to help by jumping against his back. Not a large man himself, Smithers was thrown forward by the combined momentum of the dog and the weight of the bag of dog food. As he pitched forward, Herkie leaped away as Smithers dropped the sack and it burst open on hitting the floor. He had just enough time to utter a terrified groan before his head smashed down against the edge of the kitchen counter as his eyeglasses went flying across the room. He lay face down and motionless on the floor of the kitchen as his dog gobbled up the kibble strewn from the bag. Soon having eaten his fill, the little dog curled up against his owner's body and fell asleep.

_ to be continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, preparations were underway in the office of Mr. Burns. Homer Simpson, the safety inspector of the plant and two other ubiquitous employees, Lenny and Carl, have agreed to come in early for a substantial compensation. They are busy decorating the office for what appeared to be a party. Mr. Burns gives instructions:

"That's it…yes…right there. Excellent!" he chortles.

"You're sure he doesn't suspect anything?" Lenny asks.

"Oh, no, I'm certain. I've been extra demanding and abusive all week just to make sure he wouldn't catch on," Burns replies.

When all the crepe and streamers are hung, Lenny and Carl unfurl a banner announcing

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. SMITHERS". Homer has already been distracted by the catered goodies lying on a long table for the breakfast buffet.

"SIMPSON!" Burns yells.

Homer whirls around only to be caught with a mouth stuffed to capacity.

"Can't you wait until the party ACTUALLY starts, man?" reprimands the boss.

"Mffftt….pftgghh," mumbles Homer, unable to articulate with a mouthful.

Soon other plant workers arrive. Burns bustles about expectantly awaiting Smithers' appearance. After thirty minutes past Smithers' usual time of arrival, some workers are getting fidgety and begin grumbling…another fifteen minutes and many start drifting away. Burns is also getting a little peeved, so he decides to phone Smithers, but the phone just rings and rings. Burns hangs up.

"Probably on his way right now," he surmises.

But after several more minutes, Smithers still has not turned up. All the guests have left except Lenny, Carl and Homer, who aren't as anxious about returning to their work stations.

"Of all the days he would pick to be late," Burns fumes, drumming his fingers on the desktop. He tries to phone again with no success.

Lenny whispered to Homer, "This turned out to be a real surprise party. The surprise was that the guest of honor didn't even show!"

Back at Smithers' apartment, the phone's initial ringing has awakened Hercules, who rises and walks over to it, staring. He gives a few yips and the phone falls quiet. Satisfied that he has cowed the annoying machine, Herk saunters back to the kitchen and has breakfast on more of the strewn kibble. He is a little curious why his master is still laying on the floor. It's daylight and time to get up and go for their morning walk. He sits by Smithers and whines a few times then tries nudging a shoulder with his nose, but there is no reaction from the unmoving form. After a while the little dog trots to the door and scratches against it, looking expectantly at the knob, like it would open magically for him. Suddenly, the phone rings again and Herk lunges in its direction, yapping furiously. The noise of the dog's barking and the phone ringing have served to rouse Smithers, who turns over slowly, groans and puts his hand to his head. Herkie is overjoyed to see some action and pirouettes around Smithers.

"Well, well, whose little dog are you?" Smithers queries. He tries to sit up, but sighs and puts both hands to his head as the effort has produced an excruciating pain there. He rises slowly and staggers towards the living room, the dog following quizzically behind. Smithers flops on the sofa waiting for the room to stop spinning around. He moans again and passes out.

For Herkie, this won't do. He gives a few sharp barks hoping to rouse his owner into some action.

Meanwhile, back at the plant, Mr. Burns is vexed.

"Well, if he won't come to the party, we'll bring the party to him. I think we should pay a call on Mr. Waylon Smithers," Burns fumes.

The men pull down the decorations and pack some of the food in boxes. They load Burn's limo and start off.

_to be continued... _


	3. Chapter 3

In Smithers' apartment, he has revived again and sits up on the sofa, but his head is still throbbing agonizingly. He sees Herkie who is squatting near the couch, wagging his tail expectantly. "Are you still here?" Smithers asks looking around. "Where am I?"

Herk sits up on his haunches and paddles his front paws, but his only reward is another groan from his master. Smithers slowly stands and searches the apartment until he finds the lavatory. He stands squinting at the blurry face in the mirror – a face with a large discolored bump on the forehead - a face he doesn't recognize but seems vaguely familiar. Running some cold water in the sink, he splashes it on his face hoping it will soothe the throbbing in his head. It doesn't help much. He sighs and walks unsteadily towards the apartment door.

"I'm sure I have to be someplace now," he thinks, trying desperately to remember.

He opens the door and lurches down the hallway, Herkie following hesitantly, not sure what's going on. Smithers staggers down the flight of stairs and out the front door of the apartment house. Herkie sits patiently at the top of the stairway waiting for further developments.

Smithers walks unsteadily and slowly down the block, squinting at the street signs trying to get some clues as to where he is or trying to recognize the names. He turns at the corner just as Burn's car turns in at the other end of the block. It pulls up to the doorway that Smithers had exited just minutes before. The men start to carry boxes up the stairs but are greeted by a few yips from a small terrier sitting at the top. They ignore the dog and approach the apartment. They are surprised to see the door open and stop at the threshold.

"Ahoy, ahoy! Anyone to home?" Burns utters expectantly.

No answer. The men enter the room. They quickly assess that the tenant is not there. Homer picks up Smithers' jacket still on the chair. The ID tag falls out of the pocket.

"He wouldn't have left for work without his jacket and ID," Carl muses.

Exploring further, they see the mess in the kitchen – dog kibble strewn around, the overturned footstool, and eyeglasses near the refrigerator. Burns picks up the spectacles.

"He wouldn't get very far without these either," Burns speculates, placing them in his pocket.

Herkie sits in the doorway and stares at the unfamiliar guests.

"There's Smithers' dog, but where is Smithers?" Burns wonders. He turns his gaze at the little canine. "Maybe that mutt knows," he theorizes.

"Here, boy," Lenny calls as he grabs the leash hanging on the peg by the door and clips Herkie to it. The dog is eager to be taken for a walk and pulls the leash frantically. The rest of the men follow Lenny and Herkie. The dog stops briefly at a bush by the apartment entrance. The group waits patiently, looking askance, until Herk finishes his ritual. Then he gets a scent on the sidewalk and begins to strain at the leash again. Homer, and Carl follow like bumper cars as the dog starts the stops as he reassesses the direction. Burns follows slowly in his limo.


	4. Chapter 4

By now, Smithers has wandered some distance and still trying to figure out who he is and where he has to go. He sees a billboard proclaiming "TRY ALOHA ALOE CREAM FOR ALL YOUR SKIN RASHES AND BURNS". Burns…Burns…Burns…starts echoing in Smithers head like something he should know, but can't quite grasp. Soon he passes a newspaper kiosk where the headlines proclaim "THE ISOTOPES' BILL MCCLOSKEY HITS HOMER" while another front page story reads "PAPARAZZI SUED BY JESSICA SIMPSON". Smithers stares at the last words in both headlines: Homer…Simpson…Homer…Simpson, Smithers' eyes flash from those bleary words in one story to the other. He covers his face and grimaces. There's something about those headlines…familiar, yet not really connecting. Frustrated, he continues walking. Soon he sees the cooling towers of the nuclear plant in the distance. Again he stops and stares. Feeling compelled but not knowing why, he starts towards them. In the meantime, Herkie and his new friends follow his nose. After several blocks, the terrier stops and circles with his head close to the concrete under a billboard proclaiming soothing relief from aloe cream. It's getting near lunchtime and Homer starts to whine about getting some food.

"Aw Homer," says Lenny, "Try to get along on what you scarfed down in the office!"

Just in front of them, as the dog continues to sniff the spot, some firemen are preparing to flush a hydrant. As the water gushes over the concrete, Herkie takes the opportunity to lap up some of it, but in wetting the pavement, it has washed away any reaming scents that were there. Herkie has lost his track.

Smithers by now, is also feeling woozy from his trauma and not having eaten in nearly 24 hours. He enters a small coffee shop and sits on a stool at the counter.

"What'll it be, Mac?" the counter attendant asks, then notices the large discolored bump on his customer's head. "Hey, buddy, what happened to you?"

"I wish I knew," Smithers bemoans.

"You'd better see a doc about that," the waiter suggests.

"Yeah, yeah." Smithers sighs, "But right now I just want to see a cup of hot, black coffee."

"Sure thing, mister," the counterman replies producing a mug of dark brown liquid from a large urn.

Smithers fishes in his trouser pocket for some money. Seeing he doesn't have enough for anything else, he tosses a few coins on the counter, gulps down the beverage and prepares to resume his wandering, but sways when he stands. The waiter hurries around to help him.

"I'm all right," Smithers insists, trying to shrug off the attention.

"Uh, sure," the unconvinced attendant says, "But you take care, okay?"

"Yeah," Smithers retorts and pushes out onto the street.

He walks about a block and a half further when a dark figure standing in the alley between two buildings asks for the time. Smithers stops hesitantly. Slowly he raises his wrist and peers at the wristwatch. He can barely make out where the hands are since he left his glasses back on the kitchen floor.

"Looks like 5:26 to me. Must've broken it somehow."

He looks up, but doesn't need his glasses to see a gun pointed directly at him.

"In here, quick!" the dark figure hisses gesturing in the alley and threateningly grabbing at Smithers and pulls him off the street

"Sorry, pal," says Smithers distainfully, "But I don't have much on me at the moment." He turns his back on the crook intent on resuming his journey.

"I'll be the judge of that!" the bandit snaps and prepares to pistol whip Smithers.

Smithers hears the movement and turns back towards the assailant just in time to see the handle of the gun come swinging downward. He raises his arm to deflect the blow. The two men grapple in the alley.


	5. Chapter 5

Herkie, who doesn't just have his keen sense of smell to rely upon, suddenly pricks up his ears alertly. He strains at the leash again so hard that the men have to trot to keep up. They pass the café where Smithers tarried and arrive at the dark alley from which sounds of a struggle issue. Herkie with a burst of energy, finally breaks free of Lenny's control and rushes into the alley. He sees his beloved master in altercation with a threatening stranger. Smithers, in his compromised condition, his rapidly losing his ability to fend off the felon. One more punch by the crook and Smithers finds himself stunned and down on the pavement. Without hesitation, the brave terrier joins in the altercation, snapping at the thief's ankles.

"Hey, quit it, ya darn mutt," the robber snarls kicking at the little dog.

"Leave that dog alone!" Smithers orders and tries to get up.

By now the other men arrive on the scene and gasp at the sight. The mugger decides to take a swipe at the annoying canine with his pistol butt, but Smithers, summoning a just little more vigor, manages to interpose his body between the malefactor and Herkie. The pistol comes crashing down on Smithers already wounded head. Homer, Lenny and Carl rush the crook before he can do any more harm and pin him to the pavement amid vulgar grumblings and threats. Burns calls for help on the limo's phone.

The next thing, the miscreant is being handcuffed by Springfield's finest, Eddie and Lou, who put him in the back of the police cruiser as Chief Wiggum makes a radio report. Paramedics are attending to Smithers and suggest that he see a doctor for some x-rays to make sure his head injuries aren't more serious than just a bad concussion. The blow from the crook has apparently restored his memory. He hugs Hercules to his chest.

"Thank you, Herkie, for coming to my rescue!"

The happy little dog squirms with delight a being reunited with his master. Mr. Burns returns his injured employee's eyeglasses to him, which he perches gingerly on his nose as Homer exclaims,

"What a day to have a birthday, huh?"

"My birthday?" Waylon replies. "I almost forgot!"

"We didn't my boy," Burns chimes in. He shows Smithers the boxes of decorations and food in the limo and tells of the surprise party that went awry. "A good thing, too or we wouldn't have come looking for you. Who knows what might have happened."

"Let's go back to that café and have the party there," Carl suggests.

Momentarily forgetting that his watch is broken, Smithers looks at it to see what time it is and bemoans the fact that it is busted.

"That reminds me…" Burns smiles handing Smithers a small gift-wrapped package.

Smithers tears it open to reveal a shiny new Bulavex watch.

"A very timely gift," he quips as everyone had a good laugh. Herkie assents to this with a heartfelt bark and a vigorous tail wag.


End file.
